When I was pregnant I saw a TikTok video about not losing yourself when you become a mother. As with most things, I overcommitted and set goals for myself. One of those goals was to submit my needlepoint to the state fair. Of course, I set this goal when I had swollen knuckles and couldn't stitch anything. Once I had my baby I picked out a project, kitted it, and started painting the canvas. I was on eBay (one of the best places to shop for needlepoint deals) and saw Miss Puff. Now, there's a bit of a backstory here. Miss Puff was originally a class from StitchPlay Designs. I had always wanted to take a class from Carole Lake (if you are not familiar with her work you should stop reading this immediately and go look her up), but never got the chance. This wasn't a memorial piece by any means, I never met Carole, but I will always look up to her as a stitcher. So, when I got the chance to purchase not only one of her designs, but a whole class I jumped at the opportunity. I guess technically it was refreshing an eBay listing obsessively for an hour to make sure I was the highest bidder, but you get the picture.
As with most things on eBay, the listing didn't mention that the detailed part of instructions were missing as well as some of the fibers. So it was me, the canvas, most of the threads, and a giant stack of enlarged photos of the stitches (color, thank goodness). It ended up being a lot of fun. I love a challenge, and it felt more like a collaborative process trying to find fibers that worked with her choices and deciding which stitches I wanted to keep and which I wanted to change.
The registration deadline was August 28 and Miss Puff didn't arrive until the end of April. I didn't start stitching her until the beginning of May. If you are familiar with needlepoint you understand that a roughly 1 square foot 18 mesh project that is almost exclusively decorative stitches is not exactly something you do in four months with an infant while enrolled in college full time. I worked on her pretty consistently, but by the registration deadline none of the water was done and only about half of the sky (if I am remembering correctly). The registration was online and was super easy. It was only five dollars per entry, so I decided to register the To the Moon and Back ornament I had stitched earlier in the year and Miss Puff. I am only eligible to compete in two needlepoint categories (Teachers & Professionals Needlepoint and Teachers & Professionals Specialty Stitches, I'm not eligible for Best in Show).
The deadline to drop the pieces off at the state fair was August 3rd. I stitched all day for about a week. I went in to the store to get a frame on August 1st and nothing premade would fit. The framer said he could make it work if I cut off an inch of stitching on each side (eek!). Luckily, he was able to find a frame that someone had returned that worked perfectly. We got the matboard cut and I took home the frame. I regret getting the cheapest glass, but, boy, is that art glass expensive! Maybe in a few years I'll get the nerve to spend that kind of money and I'll replace the glass.
I finished stitching the last 20 percent of the water at 11 pm on the 1st. The next morning I woke up, got the baby all packed up, took the frame back to have everything secured, then drove to Houston to pick my mom up from the airport. I am so lucky to have such a supportive mom. We immediately drove to Dallas from Houston, which bless her heart for doing after all that flying. I definitely don't recommend driving that much with a baby, but she was a trooper as well. My mom made it such a fun girls trip. We stayed at the Virgin Hotel in Dallas which has a hilarious name and was absolutely fabulous.
Of course, we managed to get the work dropped off at the state fair grounds on the last day. The drop off was so well organized and way easier than I thought it'd be. It took all of 5 minutes. The people running it were so kind and had the system down. I will say, they give you a ticket that you have to have to pick up your work and you absolutely cannot lose it. I ended up keeping it in my glovebox because I knew I'd forget it in College Station with my luck.
The winners weren't announced until the 20th, which is understandable. I was told there were over 10,000 entries for the entire creative arts competition! It was nerve wracking, mostly because I was scared that one entry would get in and the other wouldn't and I'd have to drive up to Dallas for both pick ups and the state fair. It was also stressful that everyone kept asking if I'd heard yet, but I am very fortunate to have so many people who were cheering me on. That day they sent out an email that said they'd posted the results. So you have to scroll through all of the results and hope your name is there. Mine was! Miss Puff got second in Teachers & Professionals Specialty Stitches and To the Moon and Back got first in Teachers & Professionals Needlepoint. It honestly didn't feel real. I have really bad imposter syndrome, which affects these types of things a lot.
This October my fiance and I took our baby up to the state fair to see the pieces. We did a day trip, so we literally drove to Dallas, went to the creative arts building, then drove back to College Station. I loved seeing everyone else's work, and I feel so honored to have my work there with it! Miss Puff was pretty easy to find, but we did three laps trying to find the ornament before we had to ask for help. I didn't realize there was a blue ribbon showcase thing, and I didn't realize they'd have the back of the ornament displayed. The person in the merch booth has a giant binder with everyone's name and where their work is, so if you need help or are in a rush definitely ask them for help.
After the results came out, I saw everyone posting on social media that they kept their work off of social media because the judges don't like it if you post it before the fair. I'd be really interested in hearing where that came from, because I didn't see it in any of the guides nor was it my experience. Overall, it was a super fun and rewarding process. The Texas state fair creative arts team is so kind and genuinely wonderful at what they do. I definitely encourage you to consider submitting something to your local fair next year!
As always, I wouldn't be able to do this without the love and support of my family and friends (and my wonderful social media friends with your constant kind words and encouragement). Thank you all for all that you do.
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